“It's shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent”: Expulsion of two Tennessee democrats sparks outrage

The ousting of two Democratic lawmakers by Tennessee's Republican-controlled House of Representatives has sparked outrage across the country.

On Thursday, April 6, the Tennessee House expelled two black lawmakers, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, for advocating gun control during a protest last week.

The decision to oust the Democrats was made after Republican Representatives Andrew Farmer, Gino Bulso, and Bud Hulsey filed three resolutions on Monday, April 3, to expel three Democratic colleagues, Jones, Pearson, and Gloria Johnson. GOP lawmakers accused the Democrats of violating the law after leading a gun control protest that stemmed from the recent Nashville school shooting.

While the two black representatives were expelled by the GOP with a supermajority on the House floor, Gloria Johnson, a white Democratic candidate, survived the expulsion after the Republicans came up a vote short in the session.

The astounding incident has prompted people to take to social media to condemn the GOP’s actions, including President Joe Biden, who called it, "shocking" and “undemocratic.”

In a tweet, President Joe Biden criticized the extraordinary move and said:

(Image via screenshot/SportsKeeda)

---

Twitter erupts with condemnation after expulsion of Tennessee Democrats over gun control protest

Several others echoed similar statements after, in a punitive exercise, Tennessee Democratic Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, who represent a combined constituency of about 130,000 people, were removed from their respective positions. As per NPR, the Democrats were also removed from their committee assignments.

Following the votes, one user commented:

---

Details of the Democrats' expulsion explored

Republicans accused the three Tennessee lawmakers of instigating an "insurrection" during a gun control protest on March 30, 2023, when protestors flooded into the statehouse demanding reforms to prevent another school shooting.

The GOP’s said that on the day, armed with a megaphone, Jones and Pearson, followed closely by Gloria Johnson, broke decorum by leading chants during the protest.

On Thursday, shortly before the votes were cast, Justin Jones addressed the Tennessee House representatives as people looked on from the gallery. Jones, in an impassioned speech, explained his involvement in the protest, stating that he was standing up for young people who are not old enough to vote and are terrified of the endemic school shooting plaguing the country.

"I represent 78,000 people and when I came to the well that day I was not standing for myself," Jones said. "I was standing for those young people ... many of whom can't even vote yet. Many of whom are disenfranchised. But all of whom are terrified by the continued trend of mass shootings plaguing our state and plaguing this nation."

After Jones and Pearson were expelled, the crowd gathered inside and outside the chamber erupted in chants condemning the Republican lawmakers' decision. After the GOP failed to expel Johnson, her privilege as a white candidate was not lost on people, including the white Democratic lawmaker.

As per NPR, when asked by reporters outside the chamber the reason behind the safe outcome, Johnson said:

"I'll answer your question. It might have to do with the color of our skin."

Following the expulsion, Jones told CNN that Republicans were resorting to despotic measures to suppress the opposition, adding that he would continue to show up to the Capitol with young people to protest for a cause.